Cohesion, Satisfaction with Family Bonds, and Emotional Well-Being in Families with Adolescents

Vandeleur, C. L.; Jeanpretre, N.; Perrez, M.; Schoebi, D.

Journal of Marriage and Family, v71 n5 p1205-1219 Dec 2009

The present paper investigated whether higher cohesion and satisfaction with family bonds were associated with the daily experience of emotional well-being in varying social circumstances. Using a sample of school-age adolescents (N = 95) and both their parents, data were gathered daily over 1 week using a diary approach in addition to self-report instruments. Multilevel analyses revealed higher cohesion to be associated with well-being in fathers and adolescents, but not in mothers. Parents also reported higher well-being when with friends or colleagues than when alone. Moreover, fathers who scored higher on cohesion reported higher well-being when with family members than when alone, whereas adolescents who scored higher on satisfaction with bonds reported lower well-being when with peers or siblings than when alone.